Flat Panel Display Cover

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for a flat screen television that includes an ornamental appearance. The protective cover includes a rectangular frame having a front portion with a central opening that rests flush against the border of a television, and a side portion that extends rearward from the front portion and covers the sides of the television. The protective cover can be press fitted to a flat panel display or can include one or more fasteners thereon for securement to the front portion of a flat panel display. The side portion includes one or more apertures for receiving decorative objects, and further includes openings for providing access to the controls of the flat panel display. The frame can include any of various colors, patterns, or logos thereon so as to provide a customized appearance suited to the décor of the room in which the television is located.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/971,269 filed on Mar. 27, 2014. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to covers or frames for flat panel displays. More specifically, the present invention provides a protective cover for a flat panel display comprising a rectangular frame adapted to be secured about the border or periphery of a flat panel display. The frame includes a front portion with a central opening, wherein the front portion that rests against the front border of the flat panel display, and a side portion that covers the sides of the flat panel display. The frame can include any of various colors, patterns, designs, and logos as desired by the user.

Many people have flat panel or flat screen televisions or monitor in their living room, bedroom, or other area of the home. Such televisions often have a black or silver border causing the television to fail to match the décor of the room in which it is positioned. Further, the televisions border cannot be easily customized or concealed, preventing the user from providing the television with a more personalized appearance.

Further, the border of the television does not provide any support or protection for the television in the event that the television is knocked over or is otherwise bumped into by an object. Thus, the border does not help to protect the television from damage and is not constructed to resist impact. Thus, a protective cover for a flat panel display is desired that can also be used to provide a decorative or ornamental appearance as desired by the user.

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to frames and borders for flat panel displays and televisions. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,172, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,096, U.S. Pat. No. 7,808,563, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,134,651 provide frames and borders for televisions having decorative appearances. Other devices relate to mounting systems such as U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2013/0194728 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,237,875.

These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. These devices fail to provide a frame for a flat panel display adapted to be secured to the front of the display via fasteners, such as hook and loop fastening material. Further, such devices do not include an opening or aperture for receiving decorative objects, such as a flag or the like.

In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing protective cover devices for flat panel displays and televisions. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of protective covers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new protective cover wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when protecting a television or other display from damage while simultaneously providing a decorative or ornamental appearance.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved protective cover device for a flat panel display that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective cover device for a flat panel display comprising a rectangular frame having a front portion and a side portion adapted to cover the front and sides of a flat panel display, respectively.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover device for a display having one or more openings for receiving external objects, such as a decorative flag.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover device for a flat panel display comprising one or more apertures for providing access to the control buttons on the display while the cover is installed thereon.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover device for a flat panel display comprising a transparent screen adapted to be positioned over the flat panel display screen in order to protect the same from damage.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover device for a flat panel display comprising fasteners, such as adhesives or hook and loop fastening material, for securing the cover to the flat panel display.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover device for a flat panel display that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the protective cover as positioned for installation on a flat panel display.

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the protective cover.

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the protective cover as positioned for installation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the protective cover of the present invention. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for protecting a flat panel display from impact and damage while providing a decorative or ornamental appearance. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the protective cover as positioned for installation on a flat panel display. The protective cover 11 comprises a frame having a front portion 12 and a side portion 17. The frame is substantially rectangular so that it is shaped similarly to a flat panel display 31. The frame is of unitary construction and comprises an upper end 15, a lower end 16, a first side 13, and a second side 14. The front portion 12 is adapted to rest flush against the front surface of the border of the flat panel display. The front portion 12 includes a central opening sized so that the frame does not block or cover any portion of the display's screen 33. The side portion 17 of the frame extends rearward from the outer perimeter of the front portion 12. The side portion 17 is preferably perpendicular to the front portion 12. The side portion 17 covers are adapted to cover the sides of the flat panel display. In this way, the frame comprises an L-shaped cross section.

The frame of the protective cover 11 can include any of various colors, patterns, designs, or logos thereon. Thus, the frame can be provided in the colors of a particular sports team and may include the team's name or logo thereon. Alternatively, the frame can include pictures of cartoon characters and can include the names of the cartoon characters. Further, the frame can be composed of any of various materials including injection molded plastic, rubber, silicone, paperboard, or wood, among others.

The side portion 17 of the frame includes one or more openings 19 disposed thereon. The openings 19 are adapted to receive objects therein, such as the pole of a flag. Thus, the user can removably secure a flag having a particular logo or emblem thereon to the frame. Further, the frame includes apertures 23 for providing the user with access to any control buttons on the flat panel display while the cover is positioned thereon. Thus, the apertures 23 allow the user to press and operate the power, channel, volume, and menu buttons while the protective cover 11 is positioned thereon.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an underside view of the protective cover. The underside of the front portion 12 of the frame includes one or more fasteners 18 thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, the fasteners 18 are shown as adhesive strips. The fasteners 18 can be positioned on the upper end, lower end, first side, and/or second side of the frame in order to facilitate securement of the frame to a flat panel display. Thus, in operation, the user can press the fasteners 18 on the underside of the front portion 12 of the frame against the border of a flat panel display in order to secure the cover thereon. Additional fasteners can be secured on the interior of the side portions 17 of the frame.

In alternate embodiments, the frame is sized similarly to that of the flat panel display 31 so that it can be press fitted thereon. In this way, the frame does not need fasteners in order to be secured to the flat panel display, and the frame can simply be snugly fitted onto the border of the flat panel display.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the front portion 12 may further include a transparent screen 22 thereon. The transparent screen 22 is adapted to cover the display's screen when the protective cover 11 is secured to the flat panel display. The transparent screen 22 helps to prevent the display's screen from becoming scratched or otherwise damaged. In alternate embodiments, the frame comprises an opening defined by the edges of the front portion 12 so as to allow the display's screen to be uncovered.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross sectional view of the protective cover as positioned for installation. In the illustrated embodiment, the protective cover 11 is aligned with the front of a flat panel display 31 so that it can be mounted thereon. A plurality of hook and loop fastening strips 21 are mounted on the border 32 of the flat panel display. The hook and loop fastening strips 21 may include an adhesive on a rear portion thereof so that the hook and loop fastening strips 21 can be affixed to the flat panel display's border. The interior surface of the front portion 12 of the protective cover 11 includes a plurality of mating hook and loop fasteners 23 thereon. The hook and loop fasteners 23 on the interior surface of the front portion 12 of the protective cover 11 are adapted to be aligned with the hook and loop fastening strips 21 disposed on the television border 32 for removable securement therewith.

When the protective cover 11 is disposed on the flat panel display 31, the front portion 12 covers the border of the flat panel display, and the side portions cover the sides of the flat panel display. The front portion 12 does not cover or extend over the screen 33 of the display so that the picture on the display's screen is not obstructed. However, in some embodiments, the front portion 12 includes a transparent screen supported on the frame that covers the display's screen and protects the same from damage.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A protective cover for a flat panel display, comprising: a frame having a front portion and a side portion; wherein said front portion comprises a central opening and is adapted to be positioned against a border of a flat panel display; said side portion extending rearward from said front portion and being substantially perpendicular thereto; said frame comprising a plurality of fasteners thereon for securing said frame to said flat panel display.
 2. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame is substantially rectangular.
 3. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame includes one or more openings adapted to receive external objects therein.
 4. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame includes one or more apertures adapted to facilitate access to a control button on said flat panel display when said frame is secured on said flat panel display.
 5. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said plurality of fasteners comprises adhesive strips.
 6. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said plurality of fasteners comprises hook and loop fastening material adapted to mate with a plurality of strips of hook and loop fastening material securable to said border of said flat panel display.
 7. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a team logo or emblem thereon.
 8. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a decorative pattern or design.
 9. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame is composed of plastic.
 10. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein said frame further comprises a transparent screen disposed on said front portion adapted to cover a screen of said flat panel display. 